With those words, he withdrew to the backstage area, anger simmering. "How could Amber be gone? Find her, now!"
Guests at the wedding dispersed, and this incident was sure to make headlines the next day.
One of the troublemakers, sensing something amiss, discreetly informed their orchestrator.
In a dimly lit room, Ethan received the message and rose without hesitation, making his way out.
At the harbor, Amber stepped out of the taxi and, to her dismay, encountered Landon again. Fuming but pressed for time, she couldn't afford to engage him.
Sawyer would surely have realized her disappearance and send someone after her. She needed to board the ship before he tracked her down to the harbor!
At the ship's entrance, a representative stood waiting, one of the philanthropists overseeing the volunteer registration. Spotting Amber, he approached amiably.
"You've arrived, Amber."
Few of such caliber and busyness as Amber would typically engage in such a thankless task. Thus, in the old man's eyes, Amber was a kind-hearted and compassionate soul.
Amber responded with a sweet smile, "Thank you, sir, for helping me keep this from Sawyer."
Knowing it was near impossible to hide her plans, Amber feared that once Sawyer traced her, she'd be dragged back.
Exploiting the man's kindness, she fabricated a persuasive tale. She expressed her heartfelt desire to personally aid the unfortunate children in Africa, pleading with the charity organization to keep her participation confidential.
Touched by Amber's emotional plea, the organization agreed to conceal her involvement, ensuring her name didn't appear on the public list of volunteers.
Amber insisted she sought neither fame nor fortune, earning the old gentleman's favor and his pledge to keep her secret.
Thus, once Amber boarded the ship, she would vanish from Sawyer's world. In Africa, she'd figure out her next steps, becoming a ghost to all. She could start anew in a place where no one knew her.
Contemplating this, Amber smiled with newfound relief. Her long-endured agony was nearing its end. Hatred and love alike seemed trivial; she no longer had the heart for worldly vendettas. Leaving meant leaving it all behind. Amber was ready to live anew, this time for herself alone.
Though she had loved Landon, it was all in the past. She vowed to forget him. Her hatred for him, too, belonged to the past; she aimed to let it go. If not for Landon's relentless pursuit, she might have deceived herself forever, unaware that she still harbored feelings for him.
But clarity came, and with it, exhaustion. Amber was tired, weary, and fed up. All she wanted was to leave.
Step by step, as she ascended the gangway, the world seemed brighter. Amber glimpsed hope and the dawn of a new life.
Just as she moved towards this new light, Landon's voice echoed from behind.
Amber froze, then whirled around in shock. "You too?"
